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High blood pressure patients may be at greater risk to COVID-19 symptoms

Individuals dealing with high blood pressure could be among those at greater risk to COVID-19.

Ankit Chothani, M.D., a specialist in interventional and peripheral endovascular cardiology with Oklahoma Heart Institute, said people impacted by high blood pressure can be more suspectable to contracting the virus and possibly suffering longer-term symptoms.

“These changes can make patients with uncontrolled hypertension more susceptible to acquire the COVID-19 virus,” Chothani said. “In some scenarios, it can also lead to a dangerous overreaction of the immune system. Close... Read More »

Tragedy Sparks a Miracle for Brother-In-Law of Heart Attack Victim

Larrita Nichols commonly prefaces her family’s story with the notion: “As life would have it, miracles often happen out of tragedy.”

Nichols lost her brother, Weston Siglin, due to a massive heart attack on Nov. 2, 2019.

Her family has a very prevalent history of heart disease, but her brother had only recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure and exhibited no additional signs of heart disease. Needless to say, at 52 years old, Siglin’s death was a shock to the family.

This incident was devastating to the entire family, but Nichols took it particularly hard.... Read More »

In the News: Adam Betz, M.D., discusses impact ECMO treatment during the pandemic

TULSA, Okla. — In celebration of National Doctors’ Day, Green Country is home to some of the nation's best physicians.

When it comes to top-of-the-line treatments, the Oklahoma Heart Institute is becoming known for its life-saving measures by providing a machine used in only three centers in the state.

"So, it's a pretty rare thing,” Dr. Adam Betz, medical director of pulmonary ECMO at the Oklahoma Heart Institute, said.

See the entire interview, from KJRH, with Dr. Betz here.

Doctors' Day profile: Frank Gaffney, M.D. goes from selling furniture to healing hearts

(March 30 is National Doctors’ Day. Oklahoma Heart Institute would like to thank our physicians for the dedication and passion they show for their patients. In honor of National Doctors’ Day, we would like to noninvasive cardiologist Frank Gaffney, D.O.)

Frank Gaffney, M.D., has established himself as a noninvasive cardiologist at Oklahoma Heart Institute for the past 16 years. But his journey into the medical field is anything but typical for the New York native who began his professional career in the retail industry.

“When I first became a physician, I didn’t know if I had... Read More »

Tips for helping children adjust to daylight saving time

Ready or not, daylight saving time is coming up on Sunday, March 14.

Setting those clocks forward to “spring” up an hour can be an adjustment in sleep schedules for adults, much less children. Michael Newnam, M.D., is a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders with Oklahoma Heart Institute and director of sleep medicine at Hillcrest Medical Center and Hillcrest Hospital Cushing. Newnam said the most important element in adjusting to an altered sleep schedule comes down to one principle.

“The first thing is consistency,” Newnam said. “Sometimes we forget to... Read More »

PFO procedure helps patient suffering from migraines, small strokes

Kyla Jones had been dealing with debilitating migraines for quite some time and even experienced small strokes.

“I was having multiple migraines a month,” Jones said. “They were lasting days on end. I would literally go from one to another.”

Along with terrible headaches, her list of symptoms progressed as time passed. Jones eventually had a blood clot go to the retina of her right eye, which caused her to lose a portion of her vision. At one point, Jones had transient loss of parts of the left side of her body including her arm.

After subsequent testing ruled out... Read More »

Is it possible to eat nutritious, budget-friendly meals during quarantine?

(March is National Nutrition Month and to commemorate the occasion, Hillcrest Medical Center and Oklahoma Heart Institute dietitian Andrea Shotton will share her expertise on the topic of nutrition in a pandemic through a series of weekly blogs. In the first edition, Shotton discusses if it is possible to eat nutritious meals that are also budget friendly.)

Going into quarantine has become all too common during the pandemic.

From this isolation, food insecurity and mental health issues have risen; all of which may alter appetite and change food preferences. It has become... Read More »

Structure and Accountability Lead to Weight-Loss Success Story

In 2019, Grant Brown, 42, was in poor health and couldn’t shake the feeling that his current lifestyle may not allow him to be around for his family in the future. Just as those thoughts were closing in, his daughter heard about Oklahoma Heart Institute’s Weight Loss & Wellness Center. A nursing student at Oral Roberts University, Brown’s daughter immediately thought of her father when she heard a cardiologist discuss the program in one of her lectures.

Brown was intrigued after hearing what his daughter had learned and attended an introductory meeting in October 2019. He waited... Read More »

One Warning Sign Resulted in Quadruple Bypass Surgery for Seemingly Healthy Patient

At 55-years-old, Doug Winters headed into a regular checkup appointment fully expecting to walk out of the doctor’s office with a clean bill of health.  His provider recommended routine tests, including his first colonoscopy.

During the procedure, Kyle Johnson, PA-C, noticed elevated blood pressure and ordered a stress test.

During the stress test, Winters walked for a long time and could not get his heart rate up. The team at Utica Park Clinic immediately identified an issue and examined the cause, finding a serious blockage in three areas in his heart. Johnson and his team... Read More »

Should You Consider a Heart Scan After Having COVID-19?

As a result of new information regarding the relationship between the cardiovascular system and COVID-19, there’s a lot of discussion around considering a heart scan after recovery. Answers vary depending on the individual and the severity of their COVID-19 infection.

If you had a mild case, or you were asymptomatic, experts do not believe it’s necessary to get a heart scan before resuming activity. However, for individuals who had a severe case of COVID-19, or for those who were hospitalized with the virus, it’s advised that you do not return to normal activity, especially... Read More »